The Destiny of the Cimarron Herd
by Cheetahstar of BadgerClan
Summary: I apologize that I can't type up a decent summary within the 384 character rule. If you look in my bio, there should be something listed under The Destiny of the Cimarron Herd. There's the summary. Yup. Deal with it.


**Welcome to my new story :D. Nothing much to say up here...DISCLAIMER: The concept of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron belongs to Dreamworks or whoever made it up or whatever. If my characters and/or storyline sounds similar to yours then I apologize. FYI in later chapters there is a mare named Crystal, I have been asked to use this horse by Poolstripe. It is her character, not mine c:**

A black stallion stood on a smallish hill, looking over his herd with pride. He tended to keep a close watch on a creamy tan mare with brown eyes grazing with her orange-yellow colt. The colt's muzzle, eyes, mane, and tail were black, and so were his legs from his knee down. The stallion smiled, gazing over the rest of his herd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the mare lift her head and gasp, nudging the colt. "Strider!" she called from below, "Helmer and his son are here. I'll watch Spirit." The mare pushed her foal behind her, snorting at the approaching horses she had seen. Strider turned around, seeing a dark brown horse with black eyes, mane, and tail walking towards him. A brown colt with dark blue eyes and a light gray mane and tail was walking beside him with the same glimmer of ambition in his eye as his father had.

"I thought we agreed for the presentation of the foals to be tomorrow!" Strider snorted as Helmer stopped at the base of the hill.

"We did? Well, I must have forgotten. But we're here today, so we might as well get it over with," he smirked, his son snorting at Strider. Helmer walked past the hill and into the middle of the territory, the herd splitting up and keeping to the sides. "Greetings, Esperanza," he looked towards the creamy mare.

"Helmer," she snorted, glaring at him as she hid her colt behind her. Strider nudged her, asking her to let Spirit go. She sighed, taking a step forward.

"Come, Spirit," the stallion said, leading his son to Helmer. Strider stood in front of him while Spirit stood in front of his son, each pair glaring at each other with hatred. "So who is this you have brought with you?"

"This is Prince Thorn," Helmer took a step back. "He is a true king, just yesterday he chased a juvenile panther from our territory. Much better than anything _your_ son can do, isn't that right, Strider?" he said, sneering at his enemy.

"Well, _this_ is Prince Spirit. He may not be or do much as a colt, but I know he will lead the Cimarron herd to dominate the Malum herd in mere future."

"Sure he will," Helmer said sarcastically, nodding at Thorn. Thorn nodded back, running to the base of the hill.

"What was that about?" Strider asked, flattening his ears.

"You'll see. But I do recommend that you put your son in a safe place while we battle."

"I never agreed to a fight!" Strider protested.

"In that case...I challenge you to a fight to the death, Strider. If you believe you are a good king then you will accept." After he said that, Spirit bolted to his mother's side, afraid. Esperanza nuzzled her colt and glared at Helmer.

"You're despicable!" she yelled at him.

"I know, and I'm proud. So what do you say, Strider?" Helmer took a step back, ready to fight. Strider sighed, lowering his head in thought. He finally came to a decision and lifted his head, gaze locked with Helmer's.

"I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" he ran towards the hill and stopped one horse-length away from it, turning around to face Strider. "Your move." Strider took a few steps back and pawed the ground with a hoof. He reared, running towards Helmer. Once he was close enough, Helmer spun around and bucked, his hind hooves making impact with Strider's head. Strider neighed in surprise, falling onto his back and then rolling onto his side. Helmer walked to him and looked down to see if he was dead. Sure enough, he had killed him.

"You monster!" Esperanza left her foal's side and ran to Strider, shoving Helmer out of the way. "You killed our king!"

"That was my intention, your majesty," Helmer chuckled. "And you know, every herd needs a king..."

"Over my dead body!" Esperanza took a few steps back and faced him angrily.

"Lighten up, Esperanza..." Helmer cleared his throat and glanced at his son. "Come, Thorn, we should go. The deed is done." Thorn pranced over to him, walking normally half-way when his father glared at him saying "kings do not walk foolishly"!

"This isn't over! You will pay for the death of Strider," Esperanza snapped as Helmer and his son began to walk away.

"Can't wait!" Helmer called back sarcastically, snickering.

Esperanza sighed, looking down at her mate. Spirit gingerly walked up to his father's dead body, looking at his mother. "Is he dead, Mama?"

"Unfortunately. But don't worry, I'll give you as much of my time as possible and "

"I don't care about that...I want to know if the herd will be okay without a king," he protested, flattening his ears. Esperanza was taken aback, she expected her son to grieve over the fact that Strider was his father instead of the leader. "Mama, where is Dad now?"

"Your father is in a herd amongst the skies, watching over you and the herd from above. He is happy and healthy and will never let you feel lonely." She nuzzled her colt and looked to a dark gray stallion with a black mane and tail. "Night, dispose of the body, take Finn with you." The stallion nodded, walking to Strider's body. A yellow stallion with a tan mane and tail followed. "Come, Spirit, let's go on a patrol. Snow, you're in charge," Esperanza said, turning to face a white mare with a white mane and tail. Snow nodded, telling the rest of the herd to go back to what they were doing.

Spirit and Esperanza walked towards a stream which made the border between the Cimarron herd and the Malum herd. She looked around, ears perked. Spirit tried to copy her, tripping over his own hooves when he leaned a bit too close to the water. "Woah!" he fell in, making a splash. Esperanza chuckled as his head emerged from the surface. "Sorry, Mama."

"No need for apology, my dear. Everyone makes mistakes now and then."

"Like Dad?"

Esperanza winced at what her son said. "Let's not bring up your father at the moment. He only did what he did to prove that he wasn't afraid of Helmer. Strider was a proud horse, too proud to be thought of as scared or weak," she explained as Spirit pulled himself from the water. He shook himself dry, looking at his mother.

"I understand...I would've done the same."

"And that proves that you will make an excellent king one day, Spirit. I am very proud of you, I know you will do the herd well," Esperanza praised, licking his ears.

"But...what if Helmer or Thorn comes back?" he asked, glancing at her with flattened ears.

"Don't pay attention to those savages. Their herd is nothing but an obstacle in our way, trying to make us back down. But we are much too strong for that. Remember, no matter what a horse from that herd may tell you, do not give in. Even...if you think you can trust them, just..." Esperanza stopped, looking away. "Let's go back to the herd."

_**TRANSITION (FLASHBACK)**_

"Esperanza!" a gray stallion with light green eyes and a white mane and tail called, standing on the hill.

"Coming, Daddy!" she called back, running to his side. She looked at the rest of the territory. "Who's that?" she asked, seeing a dark gray stallion with a brown mane and tail and ice blue eyes walking next to a dark brown colt with black eyes and a black mane and tail.

"That is Astro, the king of the Malum herd, and his son, the prince. Today is the presentation of the foals, remember?" he said, nudging her softly.

"Oh, right! Let's go meet them!" Esperanza reared, ready to run towards the enemy herd's king and prince when her father grabbed her mane in his teeth, pulling her back. "Hey!"

"You must look like you know what you're doing. Like a sophisticated princess. When the two are gone then you can go back to being your silly self," he said, walking towards Astro and his son once he was finished talking. Esperanza followed her father, trying to act "sophisticated". Soon they were face to face with the enemy, Esperanza keeping a straight face.

"Hello, Alejandro," Astro greeted the two.

"Astro," Alejandro snorted, his look of hatred and annoyance pleasing to the other king. "Who might this be?"

"This is Prince Helmer," Astro said, his son standing up straight at the introduction. He continued talking, but Esperanza had tuned him out.

"Hey, I'm Esperanza," she whispered to Helmer. He looked at her with surprise.

"Why did you tell me that?" he asked, ears flattened. "Your father was already going to say your name once mine was finished speaking."

"So?" she snorted, "We don't have to wait!"

"But...it's the rules."

"Ugh, I hate rules," Esperanza pawed the ground with a hoof. "I wish I could run away and start my own herd, and there would be no rules. But, I have a responsibility as a princess to be queen of the Cimarron herd one day, and my father has already betrothed me." She was surprised to see that Helmer was actually listening to her every word instead of being distracted or ignoring her. He seemed to _enjoy_ listening to her.

"Really? My father has already betrothed me too! Her name is Diamond," he said. His tone of voice and expression showed that he was trying to cheer her up. Esperanza smiled, soft brown eyes gleaming.

"Mine is named Strider! He's one of my best friends, he's all black."

"Diamond is light gray with a white muzzle. Her eyes are blue and her mane and tail are white. Who's your mother?"

"My mother is Queen Sidney. She looks just like me except her hues are darker. What about yours?" It was fun talking to the prince. He was smart, kind, creative...almost nothing like what his herd seems to be like.

"My mother is Queen Sunset. She is brown with black eyes and a tan mane and tail," he explained. "Hey, Esperanza, do you want to be friends?" At that moment, something clicked in Esperanza's mind. All of a sudden, there was this warm and fuzzy feeling inside of her. Was it...oh no. It couldn't be! Esperanza, princess of the Cimarron herd, was falling in love with Helmer, prince of the enemy herd! 'No, no, no! This can't be happening! I'm going insane, this isn't _love_. I don't love him, and he doesn't love me. Nothing of the sort will EVER happen. No matter what!' she thought, trying to convince herself that the feeling was nothing. That it was all her imagination. "Esperanza?"

"Huh?" she snapped back to reality, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Helmer. But...we can't be friends." Helmer winced, ears flattened and head hanging a bit.

"Why not?" he asked in a quiet voice. "Is it because of our herds?"

"Helmer, it's not you. It's me. I can't do this to my herd..."

"Do what? Our friendship can't hurt anybody!" Helmer said, eyes blazing. He was now enraged by Esperanza's rejection.

"Helmer!" She stomped her hoof on the ground, silencing him. "Don't you see what will happen? Haven't you heard those old love stories from your parents? No matter what, the two friends become mates. And that cannot happen to us." He was obviously confused, as if he's never heard a story before in his life. "Wait a minute...you've never heard a story, have you?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid not. But, from what you said about them, the concept of friends becoming more makes sense."

"Well, we should get going," Astro said after he and Alejandro were finished speaking. "Come, Helmer." He began walking back to his territory, Helmer lingering.

"Goodbye, Esperanza. You know, Strider is a lucky horse." Helmer turned around and trotted to catch up with his father, head hanging as he walked back to his herd.

**And that is le prologue to The Destiny of the Cimarron Herd. Confused with anything? Just put it in the comments and I'll give you an explanation in the next chapter. Have any recommendations or horse OCs you'd like me to hear about? Again, put it in the comments and I'll get back to you in the next chapter ASAP. FYI I am also going to continue working on Cheetahstar's Past, but it might take me a while longer because of stupid writer's block ;-;. See ya!**


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